Sorry this one's taken so long - work and life just got in the way. :-)
‘I'm hungry,' announced The Princess, sitting beside me at Pearl Hotel's reception area.
We had just arrived from the Safari Park. We were hot and sticky, surrounded by hats and cases and sweating plastic bags full of cold juice and water.
‘Can't help you at the moment,' I replied. ‘Lunch will have to wait until after we've checked in.'
Princess's mouth turned down, and she flounced off to inspect the treasures in the adjacent boutique. Minutes later she was back. ‘I'm hungry AND thirsty. How long before we eat?'
I passed her a water bottle. ‘Here, have a drink.'
‘Water?' She eyed the bottle as though it were filled with sewage. I shrugged and reached for the juice. ‘Don't give me that stuff,' she said. ‘There's so much sugar in it that it makes me feel sick.'
Ah, the joys of motherhood. Why didn't I breed piranha instead?
I counted slowly to ten, comforting myself with the knowledge that I'd soon have my father for company. He was due to fly out of Melbourne that afternoon, and would arrive at Pearl late that evening. Oh for a bit of mature company.
He's a funny old bugger, my dad, with his own quaint little ways. His punctuality drives me to distraction when we're away. If breakfast is at eight, he's ready in my room ten minutes before, fidgeting. But then he is 88; he's entitled to a few eccentricities. His main problem is that his feet can no longer keep up with the rest of him. He's prone to falls, and we both agreed that Bali's nightmare footpaths would pose a problem. We therefore planned to cab it whenever possible.
Princess and I were finally escorted to our room. I'd booked us a standard twin (with a standard double bed room on the ground-floor for Dad). Our room was bright, spacious and gleaming clean. Everything worked as it should. Tasteful décor, decent beds, lots of cupboard space. Kettle and mugs too, in case you're wondering. We were happy!
Pearl's pretty garden, with its squirrels and tiny birds, was a bonus - as were the resident rabbits that hopped around and kept an eye on the place. Guard bunnies, they were. They did a great job too: we didn't get burgled once.
The Princess was ravenous by now, so I took her to Waroeng Asia for lunch. If THEY couldn't do a good vego meal, who could? Princess scanned the menu critically. ‘See anything there that meets with your approval?' I asked with a ‘tone' in my voice. She glared at me and eventually settled for the pineapple, cashew and tofu stir fry. She didn't rave about her meal, but she said it was ‘good' (which is better than ‘fine', and a mile in front of ‘okay'). And she ate the lot.
After a quick trip to Bintang Supermarket, I decided I was long overdue for a massage. And a facial. The Princess, massage and facial virgin, cautiously agreed to join me.
We ducked into the Eden Green spa on Jl 66. This had became a fave of mine last trip. Business was booming back then, and I usually had to book.
This time around, there was no need to book... there were no customers. I wasn't at all surprised: the girls were all sitting around on the floor by the door, studiously ignoring us. It must have been Unhappy Hour at Eden Green.
Two lasses reluctantly dragged themselves to their feet, and took us upstairs. As you enter the massage area, prominent signs ask you to turn off phones and keep quiet during massage. Princess and I obeyed, but our masseuses maintained a steady stream of chatter while they worked. The massages they gave were neither soothing nor enjoyable. And my facial brought me out in spots, which erupted into a nasty rash overnight!
When it was all over, we escaped gratefully and headed back to Pearl, to change for a late-afternoon swim. We had the pool to ourselves that afternoon... and for the next few days. This pleased The Princess no end - a few days before at DeKuta, my daughter had confessed a particular aversion to swimming when anyone else was in the vicinity. ‘I don't like people staring at me,' she stated (particularly when you've lost so much weight that your bathers keep falling down).
I slipped into the water and swam a few easy strokes. Rolled onto my back. Watched the birdies swooping across the darkening sky. Wondered where we should eat and what sort of cocktail to order. Thought about Dad, and what Jetstar was feeding him that evening. Contemplated whether to take the laundry in to be done, and whether they still ironed your undies... You know the kind of garbage you think about when you're totally chilled out, without a care in the world?
This was the official start of a very good holiday!